Inventor Stories

Chances are that if you raid the pantry (or mini fridge / desk drawer) of any college student, office worker or, shall we say, “cooking-impaired” individual, you will find one common item in stock…we are talking about RAMEN! Although most people only think of ramen noodles as a quick and easy lunch, this microwave meal …

Yesterday was the anniversary of the death of a very important inventor in American history, but a man that most people probably never heard of—Elmer Ambrose Sperry.  Sperry was a prolific inventor, creating advanced compasses and gyroscopes for the United States Navy to stabilize ships, airplanes and aerial torpedoes. He also invented the gyrocompass and …

Undoubtedly, you’ve gone to the bathroom countless times.  We’d even venture to guess that, while there, you never gave a thought to how the toilet holds fast to the floor… but, we’re betting you’re glad that it does. Now, many historians give all the credit to the man who invented the toilet.  Rumors have swirled …

April showers bring… wet, muddy streets and paths that make taking our precious pets out for a walk a little challenging and messy. But, Fido needs to go outside – no matter what the weather is doing. Today, we’re stepping into a new pet invention that has made walking in rain, snow, sleet or any …

If you asked a person on the street who the “father of the motion picture” was, they would probably say Thomas Edison, and they would be somewhat right. Edison did invent a way of recording successive images in a single camera and paved the way for the modern film industry as we know it today. …

Before people were irritated by digital albums crammed full of ill-prepared dinners and pre-club selfies on Facebook, people were irritated by celluloid-photo ambushes of Grand Canyon vacations and second cousins at dinner parties.   Stick it to FB friends and neighbors who over-share by soaking in some real photography, shot on real film, developed by …

Among other things, April is International Amateur Radio month. Amateur radio, often called “ham” radio, is where “hams” (ie, amateur radio enthusiasts) use different types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for fun, but also for some public services like disasters (it’s said that a Welsh ham radio operator named Artie …

Most people think that every device in use today is the brainchild of one or more brilliant inventors who had a great idea and worked diligently to turn that idea into a marketable product. Most of the time, that narrative is true. But, occasionally, a fabulous new product is created by accident. Maybe an unknown …

The best thing about an idea is that anyone can have one: young or old, man or woman, it doesn’t matter. Everyone has ideas. But, the thing that separates inventors from everybody else is that they act on their ideas and try to turn them into something real. It takes hard work and determination to …

It is always great to see a familiar face… especially when that face is one of our clients who just happens to be in our hometown for a visit! Coming all the way from her home in Minnesota, Jean Rindfuss, the mastermind behind Chicago Metallic’s Meatball Baker, decided to stop in to visit with one …